Amber Renee Barker
Ten-year-old Amber was last seen on December 18, 1997 at approximately 6:00 p.m. in her hometown of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Her mom spoke to her on the phone while she was at a friend's home and told her to come home. Amber left her friend's house and was last seen riding her blue ten-speed bicycle in the 3000 block of northwest 45th Street at the time. She was on her way to her home home in the 3100 block of northwest 39th Street. Amber never arrived home and has never been heard from again. On December 19, 1997, Amber's bicycle was discovered abandoned in Denniston Park in Oklahoma City; the bike was located near northwest 27th Street and Drexel Boulevard, which is one mile from her home. On December 20, 1997, Amber's sweater, shoes, one sock and a ring were found along Drexel Boulevard and northwest 12th Street; one of her shoes was a block away from the other one. Investigators stated that blood, hair and fiber evidence was discovered near Amber's possessions. There were blue fibers & vomit on her sweater, and a speck of blood on her shoe, but the blood spot was so small that the authorities were unable to link it to any specific person. Authorities were able to form a partial DNA profile for an unknown man from the evidence on the sweater. Daniel John Smith, Amber's sister's common-law husband, was previously convicted of attempted kidnapping in 1995; he admitted that he assaulted a woman in Oklahoma City while he was intoxicated and tried to steal her car keys. The woman says he tried to rape her. Smith pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a five-year deferred prison sentence and four months at a boot camp, where he earned excellent reviews. The police had been summoned to another of Amber's sisters' homes in November of 1997 after her sister claimed that Smith hit her when she refused to have sexual relations with him; Smith was given a citation by authorities, but he was not arrested. Smith was allegedly at Amber's house when she called her mother to say that she was returning home. He left the residence immediately afterwards and headed west, the same direction Amber was coming from. Smith was questioned about Amber on the day after her disappearance, and authorities wanted to interview him further, but he discovered hanged from a tree in at Ray Trent Park in Del City, Oklahoma at 11:30 p.m. on December 22, 1997. Investigators determined that Smith committed suicide. He was not labeled as a suspect at the time; authorities simply said they wanted to question him regarding Amber's case. Amber was a 4th-grade student at James Monroe Elementary School at the time of her disappearance. Her loved ones stated that Amber wasn't having any personal problems when she went missing and does not have a history of running away. Her nickname is "Amby." One of Amber's sisters died in 2013 and her mother died in 2014. As of 2018, Amber's disappearance remains unsolved; foul play is suspected due to the circumstances involved in her case. Description Amber is described as a Caucasian female with brown hair & brown eyes, weighs between 70-80 pounds and has a height of either 4'11 or 5'0. She has pierced ears. Amber was last seen wearing a long-sleeved beige shirt with a brown collar, light blue or black jeans and No Excuses sneakers. Category:Missing by Year Category:1997